The ultimate answer to the question 'Who said that?' (and when, and why)

New to this Edition:

Over 700 new quotations

Over 200 new authors

Links to companion website feature with the authors of quotations speaking their own words

Oxford Dictionary of Quotations

Eighth Edition

Edited by Elizabeth Knowles

Description

The first edition of the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations was published in 1941 and for over 70 years this bestselling book has remained unrivalled in its coverage of quotations past and present. The eighth edition is a vast treasury of wit and wisdom spanning the centuries and providing the ultimate answer to the question, 'Who said that?' Find that half-remembered line in a browser's paradise of over 20,000 quotations, comprehensively indexed for ready reference. Lord Byron may have taken the view: 'I think it great affectation not to quote oneself', but for the less self-centred the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations provides a quote for every occasion from the greatest minds of history and from undistinguished characters known only for one happy line.

Drawing on Oxford's unrivalled dictionary research programme and unique language monitoring, over 700 new quotations have been added to this eighth edition from authors ranging from St Joan of Arc and Coco Chanel to Albrecht Dürer and Thomas Jefferson. New sayings from across the ages include 'It would not be better if things happened to men just as they wish' (the classical writer Heraclitus), 'Fight on, and God will give the Victory' (the suffragette Emily Wilding Davison), and 'The future is already here—it's just not evenly distributed' (the writer William Gibson).

Oxford Dictionary of Quotations

Edited by Elizabeth Knowles

Table of Contents

Introduction to the eighth edition History of the Dictionary Introduction to the first edition How to use this work Quotations Index

Oxford Dictionary of Quotations

Eighth Edition

Edited by Elizabeth Knowles

Author Information

Edited by Elizabeth Knowles

Elizabeth Knowles is a historical lexicographer who worked on the 4th edition of the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (1993) and was Editor of the 5th, 6th, and 7th editions of the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations (1999, 2004, 2009). Her other editorial credits include the Oxford Dictionary of Modern Quotations (3rd edition, 2007), What They Didn't Say: A Book of Misquotations (2006), and the Little Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs (2009). She is a contributor to The History of Oxford University Press (2013).

Oxford Dictionary of Quotations

Eighth Edition

Edited by Elizabeth Knowles

Reviews and Awards

"The misquotations section has helpfully grown since the millennium from thirty-four to fifty-seven entries. It is still possible to learn things from leafing through these pages" - Michael Caines, The Times Literary Supplement

"It can be browsed endlessly, with each quotation delivering something different. When I first looked at this edition I'd found three quotations which my husband had to know about by the time I got to the bottom of page two - and he agreed." - Sue Magee, Book Bag

"Where else would you find over 20,000 quotations, covering centuries, every subject, with wit, wisdom and food for thought?" - Sue Magee, Book Bag

Oxford Dictionary of Quotations

Eighth Edition

Edited by Elizabeth Knowles

From Our Blog

The Oxford Fortune Cookie is a longstanding tradition here on the OUPblog and is a fun way to end your week. On Fridays, watch out for our tweet to mark the beginning of #OxfordFortuneCookie on our OUP Academic account. The rules are simple: just send us a tweet with the message 'I want to play #OxfordFortuneCookie with @OUPAcademic' and a number between 1 and 400, and we'll reply to you with a quote or a proverb from one of our books.

Each January, Americans commemorate the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., reflecting on the enduring legacy of the legendary civil rights activist. From his iconic speech at the Civil Rights March of 1963, to his final oration in Memphis, Tennessee, King is remembered not only as a masterful rhetorician, but a luminary for his generation and many generations to come. These quotes, compiled from the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, demonstrate the reverberating impact of this work, particularly in a time of great social, political, and economic upheaval.

Winter encourages a certain kind of idiosyncratic imagery not found during any other season: white, powdery snow, puffs of warm breath, be-scarfed holiday crowds. The following slideshow presents a lovely compilation of quotes from the eighth edition of our Oxford Dictionary of Quotations that will inspire a newfound love for winter, whether you've ever experienced snow or not!

Coverage of the centenary of the outbreak of World War One has made us freshly familiar with many memorable sayings, from Edward Grey's 'The lamps are going out all over Europe', to Wilfred Owen's 'My subject is War, and the pity of war/ The Poetry is in the pity', and Lena Guilbert Horne's exhortation to 'Keep the Home-fires burning'.

In recent weeks, a trade dispute between Amazon and Hachette has been making headlines across the world. But discussion at our book-laden coffee tables and computer screens has not been limited to contract terms and inventory, but what books mean to us as publishers, booksellers, authors, and readers.